After a brief silence, the students in the stands burst into discussion, completely ignoring the referee's warning not to make so much noise.
They began putting Huo Yuhao down.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged referee continued to stand there with an air of righteousness.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao smiled indifferently.
Shrek Academy had opened his eyes once again.
But just then, the young men and women present let out another wave of gasps.
They saw a figure walking step by step toward the fighting platform.
Xu Sanshi had arrived, dressed in a black robe.
The robe was embroidered with a gold trim. He looked imposing and held a Mystic Fan in his hand.
With every step, he carried himself with impeccable presence and style.
His calm expression, along with the occasional wicked smile, instantly captivated a crowd of lovestruck girls.
Of course, some of the girls might have had other motives.
Some knew Xu Sanshi's identity, while others were drawn to his prowess.
Naturally, by prowess, they meant Xu Sanshi's fighting ability, not anything else.
Some girls were so excited that they spilled the juice they'd just bought all over the ground, even soaking part of their skirts...
At that moment, the middle-aged referee saw Xu Sanshi and smiled.
His aura of righteousness still surrounded him, making him seem utterly impartial.
The referee nodded at Xu Sanshi and asked, "When shall we begin?"
Xu Sanshi waved dismissively. Then, after giving Huo Yuhao an unfriendly look, he said, "Let's start now."
The referee nodded. "All right."
Then,
without even checking whether Huo Yuhao was ready, he shouted, "Begin! Both sides, state your Martial Souls and names!"
Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate. He smiled, looked at Xu Sanshi, and said, "I'm Huo Yuhao. My Martial Soul is my eyes, and my Soul Power is at level sixteen."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao revealed his gleaming white Soul Ring.
Everyone present was taken aback at first. Then they once again laughed at him with disdain.
"Hey, did you see that? A Ten-Year Soul Ring! That's a first. How did the academy even accept him?"
"No idea. He must've pulled some strings. Otherwise, there's no way they'd take a piece of trash like him!"
Some of the female students began chatting, too.
"Hey, that first-year is so weak. He only has a Ten-Year Soul Ring. How can he compare with my Sanshi?"
"What do you mean your Sanshi? He's mine!"
"Enough, be quiet. Don't you find it strange that someone with a Ten-Year Soul Ring could get into Shrek Academy? That Huo Yuhao must have something special about him."
But soon, another gasp rang out, and the fight began below.
The students who had been chatting immediately fell silent and watched, ready to admire Xu Sanshi's magnificent form.
At that moment, on the Soul Fighting Platform,
Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate. He took the Heavy Profound Ruler from his back and hurled it straight at Xu Sanshi.
It flew so fast that the Heavy Profound Ruler spun through the air with a sharp whoosh.
Xu Sanshi furrowed his brow at the sight, but didn't hesitate. He immediately summoned his Martial Soul, and the phantom of a Mysterious Underworld Turtle appeared behind him.
The Mysterious Underworld Turtle was enormous, its heavy shell covered in mysterious patterns. Its limbs protruded, and its eyes flashed like lightning as it radiated a majestic, imposing aura.
A shield suddenly appeared in front of Xu Sanshi.
With a bang,
Xu Sanshi was knocked back seven or eight steps by the blow.
Huo Yuhao's strike had carried at least eight hundred pounds of force.
Of course, Huo Yuhao's physical strength was currently five hundred pounds, which meant the Heavy Profound Ruler itself weighed five hundred pounds.
But thanks to the acceleration when he threw it, increasing the force to more than eight hundred pounds was no problem for Huo Yuhao.
Xu Sanshi was shocked. Huo Yuhao's strength had exceeded his expectations.
Fortunately, he knew his Mysterious Underworld Turtle was a top-grade Beast Martial Soul with an exceptionally high rank.
But just as Xu Sanshi was thinking this, Huo Yuhao's figure suddenly vanished.
"Violent Step!"
Huo Yuhao lunged forward. His speed had already multiplied several times the moment he threw the Heavy Profound Ruler, and now, with Violent Step, he left a phantom in the air.
The next moment, Huo Yuhao reappeared at Xu Sanshi's side.
Then came "Eight-Level Collapse!"
With a bang, Huo Yuhao slammed his palm hard into Xu Sanshi's chest.
Xu Sanshi immediately raised a fist to block.
With another bang,
Xu Sanshi staggered, and his heart jolted with surprise once more.
Huo Yuhao's physical strength was formidable, too.
But Xu Sanshi quickly came to his senses. He was a sixth-year student, after all.
Just then, Soul Power surged around Xu Sanshi.
"First Soul Skill—Xuanwu Shock!"
In an instant, a huge shield appeared around him, blazing with dazzling light.
It was an area-of-effect knockback skill that also had a certain chance of stunning its target.
Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a faint smile. He immediately retreated several steps, waiting for the opponent's Soul Skill to wear off.
Two breaths later,
the Xuanwu Shield Formation's effect faded.
"First Soul Skill, Spirit Interference!"
With a buzz,
Xu Sanshi's mind briefly descended into chaos.
"Xizhang!"
As Huo Yuhao spoke, the Heavy Profound Ruler appeared in his hand once more.
He drew the Heavy Profound Ruler from where it had fallen nearby with a sudden pull, then slammed it into the shield again.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Xu Sanshi retreated step by step, until he was utterly furious.
The other two Soul Rings on his body began to shine.
"Second Soul Skill—Xuanwu Shield Formation."
In an instant,
the Black Tortoise Shield split into multiple shields, forming a comprehensive defense.
But just then,
Huo Yuhao had already moved away. He looked at Xu Sanshi with a smile. "Xu Sanshi, you've lost!"
Xu Sanshi glared at him angrily. "How did I lose?"
Huo Yuhao replied calmly, "You used your Second Soul Ring. The rules said you could only use one Soul Skill. Did you forget?"
Xu Sanshi was immediately at a loss for words.
A moment later, Xu Sanshi's eyes turned cold. He looked at Huo Yuhao and said, "Kid, are you really going to do this?"
As he spoke, his eyes filled with violence and menace.
Huo Yuhao heard him and waved dismissively.
Just then, Liu Erlong suddenly appeared beside Huo Yuhao.
Then, seven Soul Rings slowly appeared: two yellow, two purple, and three black.
At the same time, the enormous phantom of a Lightning Tyrant Dragon emerged behind her.
The Lightning Tyrant Dragon was huge, its body surrounded by crackling purple lightning.
Its sharp claws gleamed coldly, and its massive head bore a pair of bell-like eyes that radiated authority.
Of course, this was only part of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
After all, Liu Erlong's Martial Soul had mutated. It possessed not only lightning but also fire, and what she revealed now was only its lightning element.
Everyone present drew in a sharp breath. "Th-this Lightning Tyrant Dragon... How can there be something like this? It's a top-tier Beast Martial Soul!"
"Exactly! Senior Beibei's Martial Soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
"Hey, did you see? Doesn't she look just like that statue at Shrek Academy? Liu Erlong of the Golden Iron Triangle from ten thousand years ago!"
The young men present all drew in a sharp breath at the sight of Liu Erlong and began whispering among themselves.
At that moment, Xu Sanshi's expression turned grim once again.
Before you continue